


Laugh At Your Commander

by jedirangerpenguin



Series: Immortals - A Shepard and Anderson Series [3]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Mass Effect 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 09:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24847240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jedirangerpenguin/pseuds/jedirangerpenguin
Summary: When Admiral Anderson asked Shepard to forward videos to inspire the Resistance, he was expecting something a bit more... dignified.
Relationships: David Anderson & Shepard, Female Shepard & David Anderson
Series: Immortals - A Shepard and Anderson Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2004064
Comments: 13
Kudos: 13





	Laugh At Your Commander

Anderson wearily pulled open his console. It had been a long, hard day, with the Reaper troops hitting them more than they could hit the Reapers. 

As he’d expected, message after message filled his inbox. Multiple updates from Hackett, the Crucible team, something from Kahlee...

He stopped as he caught sight of an email from Shepard. Not unusual; there were always mission updates to share, and he’d requested she forward some helm footage now and then to keep the Resistance inspired. What stopped him was the subject.

**[From: Shepard**

**Subj: CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS ASSHOLE]**

Curiosity got the better of him as he clicked open the message. Sure enough, it was another helmet video. It was hard for him to tell what exactly was happening; explosions rocked the screen, sending dust everywhere. He caught sight of dozens of Reaper ground troops, and- was that an actual goddamned Reaper?

He watched as Shepard barreled through the forces, rolled between lasers, and activated... some kind of hammer? Then she turned around and started barreling back toward the fray. 

In the middle of Shepard’s frantic running, shooting, and dodging, Anderson heard a gruff voice come in over Shepard’s comm. “Shepard, get that second hammer going,” the voice said, calmly, as if unaware of their conversational partner’s surroundings. Shepard’s tense, emotional response was immediate. 

“THERE’S A REAPER IN MY WAY, WREX!”

Anderson had to pause the recording. He pinched the bridge of his nose and started laughing. Not a full-on laugh, more of a chuckle. But still. It was more of a laugh than he’d had in weeks. The muscles in his face hurt from disuse, but he couldn’t stop. 

It took him a couple minutes to collect himself, then he finally looked to the actual message Shepard had sent with the clip. 

**[I’m dodging a LITERAL F*CKING REAPER and Wrex has the audacity??? To tell me??? To GET MOVING???**

**Anyway I summoned a thresher maw and killed the damn thing, BUT STILL]**

Anderson chuckled again and quickly typed out a reply. 

_[Sorry, Shepard, but that’s goddamned hilarious. Think I could share that with the troops down here? They could use a good laugh.]_

The reply came quickly. 

**[Whatever you think will help, you know them better than I do. Thanks for the support by the way.]**

A reply wasn’t necessary, but Anderson couldn’t resist. 

_[Always got your back, Shepard. Nice job with the Reaper.]_

**[ : P ]**

It was a few weeks before he had a chance to show the Resistance troops, but they finally had a relatively quiet night. The Reapers had suddenly pulled back. Anderson figured it would spell trouble later, but for the moment, the troops had earned a break.

Dozens upon dozens of the Commander Shepard Fan Club gathered on the ground in the evening air. The rubble they sat on didn’t seem to bother them. They looked up at the building they’d gathered in front of, the one wall that was still standing, eagerly awaiting the latest clip. 

Anderson let it project against the building wall. There were almost immediate gasps in response to the explosions and the size of the force Shepard was fighting through. There was an involuntary yelp when the Reaper panned into frame, and a gruff “Hell yeah!” when Shepard rolled out of the way of its laser.

Anderson felt a smile creep across his face as he watched Shepard activate the hammer, then turn around. The crowd had fallen silent with tension, allowing Wrex’s voice to ring clear. 

“Shepard, get that second hammer going.”

The smile on Anderson’s face split into a grin. 

“THERE’S A REAPER IN MY WAY, WREX!”

The laugh that went up from the crowd in front of him made it better than the first time. Anderson let himself get swept up in the emotion and laughed a bit with them. 

The clip ended shortly after, and several people asked to watch it again. Anderson had to oblige. Seeing Shepard bickering with a friend in the middle of a fight with a Reaper... it was important. It helped the troops feel there was a chance they could win.

It helped _him_ feel there was a chance they could win.

He didn’t know how many times he ended up playing the clip, but eventually he got the last stragglers to disperse. It was late, but he had to message Shepard.

_[Shepard,_

_Finally got to show the folks your little Reaper ballet. They really got a kick out of it.]_

Anderson stared at his screen for a long time. He wanted to say something other than banter, something to show her how important her work was, the difference it was making.

It was easier said than done. He finally settled on ending with a simple statement, hoping Shepard would pick up the rest.

_[Thanks._

_Anderson]_

He shut off the console and tried to get some sleep. Wherever the Reapers had gone, they’d turn up again, and he needed to be ready.

The morning showed no sign of Reapers, so it was spent organizing scouting parties. Mid-morning when things had finally been put together, Anderson stepped back to the console. Another dozen messages from Hackett, something from the Citadel, and a response from Shepard.

He clicked it.

**[No problem.**

**Shepard]**

Anderson smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm obsessed with both David Anderson and Jennifer Hale's delivery of that line, so boom! Put them together! Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
